We are proud to have a select group of secular speakers this year at this year’s conference. We assure you that these speakers will inspire and entertain you. Each speaker will have approximately 25 minutes for their talk and there will be plenty of breaks and Q&A sessions during the event.
Download the 2016 flyer HERE
Mr Deity (Brian Dalton)
Mr. Deity is the creator of a series of satirical short films that parody aspects of religion.
Donald Prothero
Dr. Donald Prothero taught college geology and paleontology for 35 years, at Caltech, Columbia, and Occidental, Knox, Vassar, Glendale, Mt. San Antonio, and Pierce Colleges. He earned his B.A. in geology and biology (highest honors, Phi Beta Kappa, College Award) from University of California Riverside in 1976, and his M.A. (1978), M.Phil. (1979), and Ph.D. (1982) in geological sciences from Columbia University. He is the author of over 35 books
The SciBabe
Yvette d’Entremont is SciBabe (formerly Science Babe). She’s always looked at the alternative medicine and pseudoscience movements with a skeptical eye. When Vani Hari, a.k.a. the Food Babe, took a swipe at her Pumpkin Spice Lattes? It was a call to arms.
Phil Zuckerman
is a professor of Sociology at Pitzer College in Claremont, California”. He specializes in the sociology of secularity. He is the author of several books, including Society Without God (2008) for which he won ForeWord Magazine’s silver book of the year award, and Faith No More.
Jim Underdown
James Underdown has been Executive Director of the Center for Inquiry-Los Angeles since 1999. He has written for both Skeptical Inquirer and Free Inquiry magazines. He is also the founder and chairman of the Independent Investigations Groups, the world’s largest paranormal investigation team. The IIG offers $100,000 to anyone who can prove paranormal ability.
Ross Blocher
Ross Blocher is co-host of the podcast Oh No, Ross and Carrie!, for which he has joined numerous religious groups and undergone alternative medical treatments to report on how extraordinary ideas are presented to consumers and new recruits. He has also tested paranormal claims for over 9 years with the Independent Investigations Group.
Bill Zuesher
Bill is an activist for the separation of church and state and the author of of the book “Seeing Through Christianity”
Robert Richert
Robert has been involved in the freethought movement since the early 1980s. Most of that effort has been in the form of public speaking engagements, writing articles, and mentoring leaders. Robert has always maintained an optimistic, positive outlook on life and a strong belief in human potential. He believes one can be both and atheist and spiritual person.
Phil Ferguson
Phil Ferguson has been an investment advisor representative since 1996 and is the president of Polaris Financial Planning LLC.
Phil is also a long time activist in the secular movement. He has been on the board of The Secular Student Alliance and Atheist Alliance International. He now serves as the treasurer for the Reason Rally 2016. He is an active member of many of the national organizations and has helped start three local groups
Dave Richards
“David Richards calls himself a skeptic humanist. He was raised in a protestant home but as a teenager realized he had no interest in religion, adopting humanistic values instead. He became a skeptic in the 1990s after reading books by James Randi. He has been a member of the Independent Investigations Group at CFI-Los Angeles since soon after the group was formed over a decade ago. He is the founder of the Orange County Skeptics Supper Club.
David Diskin
David Diskin, president of Camp Quest West, will discuss how parents can encourage their children to be freethinking little humans. Using examples from past Camp Quest activities, children can be shown the values of skepticism, science, and Humanism while making learning fun.
Camp Quest West is the secular summer camp program in Southern California, and thirteen other locations throughout the United States. David is also on the Executive Committee of the Secular Coalition for California, the lead organizer of California Freethought Day, and on the board of the national Reason Rally in Washington D.C..
John M. Goodman, Ph.D.
John M. Goodman is a writer, designer, consultant, and inventor. Educated at Swarthmore College (B.A. in Physics with minors in Math and Chemistry) and Cornell University (Ph.D. in Physics with a minor in the History of Science and Technology), he has taught at a variety of high profile institutions including Harvey Mudd College and California Institute of the Arts. He also has been a consultant to numerous organizations including Scientific American magazine, Charles and Rae Eames design studio, and Intelligent Optical Systems, among others.
Jan Meshon
is the founder and president of FreeThoughtAction and a board member of the United Coalition of Reason. Jan created the “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone” billboard campaign that has been conducted in over 70 markets around the country to expand the visibility and acceptance of freethinkers. Jan and his wife, Terry, recently moved from NYC to Orange County.
And for your secular entertainment, Buck Bowen, the unique rapper with original songs will be performing with a powerpoint word-by-word singalong.
Download the 2016 HERE
